11 Best Home Remedies for Varicose Veins When You're Pregnant

These home remedies for varicose veins during pregnancy can help reduce their appearance and prevent new ones from forming.

Just because your mom, sister and grandmother all developed varicose veins while they were expecting doesn’t mean you necessarily have to resign yourself to the same little blue bulges. If you’re among the estimated 10 to 20 percent of women who develop varicose veins during pregnancy, there are steps you can take from the comfort of home to reduce their appearance and prevent new ones from forming.

Home remedies for varicose veins during pregnancy

Varicose veins tend to pop up in your lower body, since more blood pressure is required to push blood from your legs back up to your heart. During pregnancy, the blood vessels in your legs are also under the increasing pressure of your growing uterus — and more pressure means more bulges. These 11 safe and effective home remedies can help reduce the appearance of varicose veins during pregnancy.

1. Wear compression stockings

Compression stockings increase blood flow by keeping a firm and constant pressure on the veins in your legs, which helps the blood flow back up the legs to the heart. Put them on as soon as you get up in the morning, before blood has a chance to pool in your lower extremities, and take them off before you hop into bed at night.

Most pharmacies carry compression stockings (sometimes even in styles that feel surprisingly chic) for somewhere in the range of $5 to $20. If your varicose veins are really bothering you, ask your doctor for a prescription for compression stockings, which may be covered by health insurance.

3. Keep moving

Stuck at a desk job for eight (or more) hours a day? Be sure to take regular breaks to stretch your legs and get your blood flowing. Even several five-minute sessions sprinkled throughout your workday can make a big difference. When you can’t avoid long periods of sitting, avoid crossing your legs and flex your ankles to promote circulation.

4. Exercise when you can

Exercise promotes circulation throughout your body, including your legs — and what’s good for circulation also helps combat varicose veins. If that’s not enough inspiration to hit the gym, pavement or pool, remember that exercise during pregnancy boasts a plethora of benefits for both you and your baby, including easing other pregnancy symptoms like fatigue, constipation, insomnia and back pain.

5. Kick up your feet

As often as possible, prop your feet up when you’re sitting to keep blood from collecting in your legs. Experts recommend elevating your feet above the level of your heart (about 6 inches above the heart if possible). And when you’re lying in bed at night, place a pillow under your ankles to let gravity work in your favor.

6. Sleep on your left side

After the first trimester, doctors recommend that you try to avoid sleeping on your back, since the extra weight from your growing baby compresses the vein that carries blood from your lower extremities back to your heart. Instead, sleep on your left side, the optimal position to promote blood flow throughout your body (including, of course, your legs).

Can’t stand side-snoozing? Prop a pillow between your legs and another behind your back. You might even want to invest in a body-length pregnancy pillow, which can double as a breastfeeding pillow after your baby’s born.

7. Choose flats, not heels

If you’re one of those rare women who can handle heels during pregnancy, you still might want to consider flats — especially if you’re concerned about varicose veins. Low-heeled shoes give your calves a better workout than high heels, improving blood flow in your legs and decreasing the appearance of veins.

8. Avoid heavy lifting

It’s wise to avoid straining to lift heavy objects when you’re pregnant, not only for your safety and your baby’s, but also to keep varicose veins from bulging.

9. Fill up on fiber

Straining on the toilet puts pressure on your veins, increasing your chances of developing more varicose veins on your legs and your bottom in the form of hemorrhoids. Your best bet is to tackle the source of the problem, pregnancy constipation, by eating 25 to 35 grams of fiber every day — think loads of fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes. (Bonus: Fiber also keeps you fuller for longer so you can resist those not-so-nutritious pregnancy cravings.) Sip on plenty of water throughout the day, too, to keep things moving through your digestive tract.

11. Watch your pregnancy weight gain

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy puts extra pressure on your already-taxed circulatory system, so try to stick to the recommended amount of pregnancy weight gain. That means monitoring your calories (you may need fewer than you think), loading up on unprocessed, whole foods, and regularly weighing yourself. If you’re having trouble keeping your weight gain on track, talk to your doctor.

Fortunately, varicose veins will likely be less visible (or disappear completely) after you deliver — especially once you shed the pregnancy pounds. If not, talk to your doctor about surgery to improve their appearance.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

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What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.